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  • Precision munitions provide 'great capability,' carry 'great responsibility'

    Precision munitions and careful targeting have enabled Operation Iraqi Freedom planners to maximize the effects of missiles and bombs and minimize unintended Iraqi civilian casualties and collateral damage."I believe that we have proven, to date, that we have waged a very precise -- and very focused

  • Coalition forces in commuting distance to downtown Baghdad

    Coalition forces have taken outlying areas of Baghdad "and are closer to the center of the Iraqi capital than many American commuters are to their downtown offices," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said at the Pentagon today.The secretary said the people of Iraq are beginning to realize the

  • Day in the life: B-52 commander's day filled with make-or-break decisions

    His day begins shortly before 6 a.m., making deposits.Each person he sees, he pats on the shoulder, shakes hands with or offers a warm greeting -- deposits of confidence, calm and comfort. He treats them all alike, from the single-stripe airman to the blue-oak-leaf lieutenant colonel.For Col. Dan

  • Desert duty

    Tech. Sgt. Rey Rodriguez prepares support brackets for shower tent at a forward-deployed location April 1. Rodriguez is a load team superintendent with the 621st Tanker Airlift Control Element and is deployed from the 821st Air Mobility Squadron at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J. (U.S. Air Force

  • Tower a pinnacle of support for fliers

    As B-52 Stratofortresses lift off from a deployed location, the last person to wish them well is not the commander or maintainers. It is Airman 1st Class Jeremy Beecher, an air traffic controller with the 457th Air Expeditionary Group.Air traffic controllers direct all air and runway traffic. They

  • Tricare may change for some families

    With Operation Iraqi Freedom in full swing, deployments have become common for military members stationed at overseas locaitions. This can affect health care for family members.Health care is available for eligible family members whether they choose to stay overseas or decide to temporarily return

  • AF provides Congress with Raptor update

    Air dominance is the first priority of any combat commander and the F/A-22 Raptor will provide it for them, Lt. Gen. John D.W. Corley said in congressional testimony April 2.Corley is the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition at the Pentagon."Air dominance provides

  • Reserve, active duty blend seamlessly

    Active-duty and Reserve airmen are working side by side and facing the same wartime challenges while deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom.Air reserve technicians from the 917th Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., work in tandem with their active-duty counterparts as members of the 5th

  • Wing prepares for CV-22 training

    With two CV-22 simulators on board here, 58th Special Operations Wing workers are making strides toward setting up training for the new aircraft.The Air Force officially accepted ownership of its first full-motion CV-22 simulator at the 58th Training Squadron recently.The unit will receive four

  • Airlifters play big role in Iraqi Freedom

    A C-130 Hercules aircraft from the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing was the first U.S. Air Force aircraft to land at an Iraqi airfield in the southern part of the country after it was secured by coalition forces March 27.The mission, flown by wing commander Col Rich Johnston and his crew, was the first

  • Airmen jump in, prepare airfield in northern Iraq

    As part of what may be the largest airborne assault since D-Day, 20 airmen of the 86th Contingency Response Group parachuted into northern Iraq on March 27 with more than 1,000 soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade.The people who jumped into Iraq comprised a team of specialists from the

  • Illinois base prepares for possible war casualties

    As coalition forces zero in on Baghdad, there is a possibility of mass military casualties. If that happens, Scott AFB in America's heartland may serve as a central medical "hub" for getting wounded warriors to the care they need."If the number of casualties is great, we need to be prepared," said

  • Letterman features Alaska airmen

    Ten members of the 962nd Airborne Air Control Squadron here will share the spotlight with David Letterman when they present a "top 10 list" on his TV show April 4. The airmen will give late-night audiences the "Top 10 Cool Things about Being Stationed in Alaska." The segment was taped in front of

  • B-52 crews use 'smart-guided' cluster bomb

    Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crews made history April 2 when they dropped six sensor-fused cluster bombs on a column of Iraqi tanks headed south out of Baghdad.The bombing runs resulted in the destruction of the tanks and marked the first time in history that CBU-105 Wind Corrected Munitions

  • Scientists, engineers vital to Air Force mission

    The Air Force is having difficulty recruiting and retaining its civilian and military scientist and engineering workforce, Gen. Lester L. Lyles, commander of Air Force Materiel Command, told senators March 31.If the service wants to retain its position as the world's premier air and space force, it

  • Troops hope their work doesn't come home

    They descended on a forward-deployed location with one focus: building bombs. Not just any bombs. They wanted to build the kind that don't come back. It is the lifeblood of any ammo troop.They didn't build for two weeks, just long enough for them to get antsy, wondering when they would get their

  • Senior leaders welcome independent academy review

    Even as the Air Force takes its first steps toward correcting problems that led to allegations of sexual assault at its academy, the service's leaders told lawmakers they would welcome a third-party investigation.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P.

  • Personnel training teams visiting bases

    Help is on the way for Military Personnel Data System users, which should lead to better customer service for airmen and commanders, according to an Air Force Personnel Center official here.Six-person training teams from the center are traveling to every base in the Air Force."We're training each

  • Air strikes hammer remote terrorist camp

    Coalition air strikes during Operation Iraqi Freedom are not only yielding the systematic demolition of the Saddam Hussein regime, but are hammering international terrorist organizations as well.Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard B. Myers, in an April 1 Pentagon press briefing,

  • KC-135 Stratotankers keep allied forces flying

    As the Air Force's operating tempo climbs to unprecedented heights in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the efforts of refueling tankers are keeping the air war on track.With the average daily number of air sorties going from 1,000 to 1,800 in the past two days, according to a defense official,

  • Weather clears skies for bomber pilots

    While accurate bombs, jet-propelled missiles and well-trained crews mean the difference in a war, none of it gets off the ground without good weather.As aircrews and others at a forward-deployed location will tell you, weather is paramount for the success of Operation Iraqi Freedom. No one knows

  • Coalition air strikes weaken Republican Guard

    Air strikes continue to weaken Iraqi Republican Guard forces, the vice director for operations on the Joint Staff told reporters during a March 31 press briefing at the Pentagon.Army Maj. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal said coalition air forces have used 3,000 precision-guided weapons since March 28,

  • Now showing: March 31 edition of Air Force Television News

    The vast array of Air Force assets contributing to Operation Iraqi Freedom are spotlighted in the latest edition of Air Force Television News.Staff Sgt. Leigh Bellinger shows all the ground and air people plus materiel making up the Air Force part of the war against Iraq; Master Sgt. Dan Robinson

  • Air Force names top command post controllers

    Air Force operations and training officials here have named the following airmen as 2002 Command Post Controllers of the Year:-- Command Post Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year is Master Sgt. Joseph A. Howell Jr., Yokota Air Base, Japan.-- Command Post NCO of the Year is Staff Sgt. Rodney D.

  • More than 100,000 coalition troops in Iraq

    More than 300,000 coalition troops are deployed in support of combat operations, with more than a third of those inside Iraq, defense officials said March 31.In addition, each day about 2,000 coalition servicemembers, "flow" into the theater each day, Pentagon spokeswoman Torie Clarke said at a

  • Operations center in action

    Staff Sgt. Selena Matlock (foreground)tracks aircraft take-off and landing times at the coalition operations center. She is assigned to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at a deployed location. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Terry Blevins)

  • After first week of war, airmen charged, ready

    With the first week of Operation Iraq Freedom successfully waged, 40,000 airmen spread across 30 locations stand poised for the long and difficult road ahead.But to airmen such as Senior Airman Jennifer Raney, the duration of the journey is secondary to dispelling the regime of Saddam Hussein."I'm

  • Experience levels vary in Operation Iraqi Freedom

    The level of experience of Air Force members currently deployed to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia runs the gamut, from battle-tested veteran to bright-eyed teenager.But whether they are new to the game or have seen it all before, the mission must go

  • Base is no place for owls

    As sprawling neighborhoods take over wide-open spaces and devour wildlife habitats, some animals are forced to move to new homes. Sometimes those homes are on military installations.Most animals pose no threat, but others -- like a pair of barn owls that made their home in a hangar here -- can

  • Buildup

    Staff Sgt. Matthew Duncan puts a fuse into a 2,000-pound Mk-84 bomb before it is loaded onto a B-52 Stratofortress bomber. Duncan is assigned to the 457th Air Expeditionary Group at a forward-deployed location. He is deployed from Beale Air Force Base, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st

  • Moving forward

    Airmen of the 821st Tanker Airlift Control Element wait to board a C-130 Hercules aircraft March 27. The aircraft will move the airmen to another undisclosed location supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Quinton T. Burris)

  • U.S. troops' remains found near Nasiriyah

    The remains of American troops have been discovered in southern Iraq near where paramilitary forces loyal to Saddam Hussein have been accused by the Pentagon of executing U.S. service members after they'd surrendered.U.S. Central Command spokesman Air Force Maj. Gen. Victor Renuart told reporters

  • Timeline for parts cut in half

    Airmen assigned to the 320th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron began getting parts March 22 in half the time it previously took.A Department of Defense-contracted carrier streamlined normal customs procedures to deliver cargo directly to the designated unit.The airmen and other base leaders

  • UAV 'roadmap' helps warfighter

    The Department of Defense's Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Roadmap provides a defensewide vision for UAVs and related technology, said the deputy of the UAV Planning Task Force in congressional testimony here March 26.The goal of the plan is to ensure UAV programs proceed in a coordinated and efficient

  • Take a break

    Master Sgt. Mark Kuntz (right) takes a break during a survival, evasion, resistance and escape exercise here. As part of exercise Foal Eagle, Kuntz, a SERE instructor, is helping to train Korean air force members to navigate and guide Air Force rescue units to their location. (U.S. Air Force photo

  • Combined security

    Jeko Jekov (left) and Staff Sgt. Olga Valery patrol the beach area here. Jekov is with the Bulgarian military police while Valery is assigned to the 409th Air Expeditionary Group's security forces. U.S. security forces airmen work with Bulgarian military police to maintain security on Camp Sarafovo

  • Science, technology investment determines future

    Warfighting effects and what is needed to achieve them drive the Air Force's science and technology program, the deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for science, technology and engineering told members of Congress on March 27."We're committed to a robust science and technology program that

  • Airborne opens new front in Iraq; Mines delay food aid in Umm Qasr

    Several hundred "Sky Soldiers" of the 173rd Airborne Brigade opened a new front in a Kurdish-controlled area of northern Iraq, defense officials announced.The troopers jumped onto an airfield. Now that the area is secure, flights will bring in more equipment and personnel. The 173rd is based in

  • 'This is for you'

    Today I took a late lunch in town and stopped into KFC, in uniform.I was almost finished with my lunch and had some chicken grease on my fingers. A gentleman from across the room walked over to my table and handed me a folded piece of paper, and said, "This is for you." I reached out my two clean

  • Remote returnees get a breather

    Airmen returning from overseas remote "short" tours will receive six-month exemptions from deploying with their new units on scheduled air and space expeditionary force deployments.The policy change is the result of input from airmen in the field, according to Maj. Gen. Timothy A. Peppe, special

  • Sandtrooper

    Airman Matthew Jensen sits atop a Humvee during a sand storm at a forward-deployed location March 26. Jensen is assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. David Donovan)

  • Airman grew up behind Berlin Wall

    For Senior Airman Anke Dzincielewski, the day the Berlin Wall fell is one she will never forget."Senior Airman D.," as co-workers call her, was born and raised in Kleinmachnow, a small town on the southwest corner of Berlin in East Germany. She grew up knowing that the West was there but never

  • Supply lines pumping, sorties rolling

    B-52 Stratofortresses keep rolling down the runway at a deployed location, carrying the fight and firepower to the Iraqi regime.As the operators and maintainers of the 457th Air Expeditionary Group keep the Buffs flying, having parts and equipment at the ready is critical."The relationship between

  • Pilots say training prepared them for combat

    Pilots flying combat missions over Iraq in recent days are saying that the real-world operations there are validating their years of training.The comments came from a March 26 teleconference in which pilots and other members of the 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing at an undisclosed location described

  • Fitness center becomes aeromedical facility

    One of the fitness centers here became a contingency aeromedical staging facility March 23.The staging facility, the first of this type stood up by the Air Force since Operation Desert Storm in 1991, is designed to hold injured servicemembers who have been medically evacuated from Operation Iraqi

  • Air Force, Army leaders examine air-ground ops

    The Air Force and Army chiefs of staff are leading a focused effort to examine air-ground operations in order to improve the two services' combat capability.Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki said they recognize the need to improve air-ground

  • Leaders outline academy overhaul

    Four U.S. Air Force Academy leaders will be replaced as part of sweeping changes designed to ensure a safe and secure environment for the school's cadets, officials announced at a Pentagon press briefing March 26.The changes were announced by Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air

  • Roche, Jumper give Senate war update

    The U.S.-led "coalition of the willing" has achieved total air dominance in the skies over Iraq, Air Force leaders told members of the Senate on March 26."The Iraqi air force has not flown a single sortie against coalition forces," Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche told members of the

  • Electrons get B-52s to battle

    It is not just jet fuel that launches B-52 Stratofortresses to the fight. It is electrons forming air-tasking orders streaming through a secure, secret military network that propels the bombers into flight."No comm, no bomb!" and "If you can't talk, you can't fight a war," boast the troops of the

  • Sandblast

    Airmen struggle to walk through a heavy sand storm at a forward-deployed air base March 26. Troops supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom are battling sand storms throughout Southwest Asia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Derrick C. Goode)

  • Diversity stressed for civilians

    As the Air Force takes the first steps toward transforming the way it develops its civilian employees, its leaders are stressing the importance of diversity in the workplace.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche said ensuring diversity in the work force is much more than a legal obligation

  • Baghdad marketplace not a target

    A Baghdad marketplace reportedly rocked by an explosion killing 14 people was not targeted by coalition forces, Defense Department officials said March 26 during a Pentagon press briefing.Army Maj. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, vice director for operations on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, said

  • Coalition progress 'phenomenal,' DOD officials say

    Six days into the campaign against Iraq and the coalition progress has been "phenomenal," Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke said today.Clarke, briefing at a Pentagon news conference with Army Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, said the coalition is making progress on the sea, land and air."On the

  • Sands of time

    Senior Airman Lisa Jones loads air-to-ground missiles for an F-16 Fighting Falcon on the flightline at a forward-deployed location March 25. Jones is a precision-guided munitions crew member with the 363rd Expeditionary Equipment Maintenance Squadron. She is deployed from the 18th Fighter Squadron

  • Wounded troops receive top medical attention in Germany

    One of Ramstein Air Base, Germany's fitness centers became a contingency aero-medical staging facility March 23.The CSAF, the first of this type of facility stood up by the Air Force since the 1991 Persian Gulf War, is designed to host injured service members medevaced here from forward deployed

  • Air war turns focus to republican guard

    As the U.S.-led war against the Iraqi regime nears the one-week mark, officials from U.S. Central Command said March 25 that coalition air forces have begun narrowing their focus.Maj. Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., CENTCOM director of operations, told reporters during a press briefing at the command's

  • SECDEF: Air strikes not aimed at civilians

    U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld lauded the air coalition's unsurpassed ability to avoid collateral damage during a March 25 press conference in the Pentagon.Speaking directly to Iraqi civilians about the intent of coalition air strikes, the secretary said that there can be no mistake about

  • K-9 partners operate on vigilance, trust

    At base gates, military working dogs and handlers are doing their part in the war with Iraq while guarding against the threat of terrorism.These threats mean there are more reasons than ever to suspect that America's enemies will target its most valuable resources with explosives or hazardous

  • Load 'em up

    A weapons load crew from the 22nd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron loads a GBU-31 precision-guided bomb on an F-16 Fighting Falcon on March 24 at a forward-deployed air base. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Derrick C. Goode)

  • Iraq flouting laws of war, Geneva Conventions

    The Iraqi regime is flouting the laws of war and the Geneva Conventions, said Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke at the news conference today.Clarke said that the deceptions have been so blatant "that some liken it to terrorism.""They are sending forces out carrying white surrender flags or

  • Coalition on track, forces 'flowing' into Iraq

    After five days of ground combat, coalition forces are more than 200 miles into Iraq and poised to take on forces defending Baghdad, DoD leaders said today.Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Richard Myers told reporters at a Pentagon press

  • Mission support

    Staff Sgt. Jennifer Shockley volunteers at the laundry facility at a forward-deployed air base in Southwest Asia. Since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, servicemembers from different organizations have taken over the duties of non-U.S. civilians who are no longer permitted on base. With more

  • Crash victims identified

    Air Force officials have identified the airmen killed in the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter crash in Afghanistan on March 23.The airmen were deployed from here supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Killed in the crash were:-- 1st Lt. Tamara Archuleta, co-pilot.-- Staff Sgt. Jason Hicks, flight

  • Officials release T-37 accident report

    Air Force officials have determined pilot error caused the Dec. 20 mid-air collision of two T-37 Tweet trainer aircraft out of Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas.In its description of the incident, the accident investigation board said the pilot of one of the T-37s did not ensure adequate separation

  • Making 'em smarter

    Airman 1st Class Richard Ludlum prepares an MK-84 "dumb bomb" for transition to a GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition "smart bomb." Four components are added to the MK-84 turning it into a precision Global Positioning System-guided weapon. Ludlum is assigned to the 5th Expeditionary Maintenance

  • Secretary, chief address Operation Iraqi Freedom

    The following is a joint message from Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper:"As our nation calls upon its armed forces to meet this next challenge in the war on terrorism, the men and women of the U.S. Air Force will play a pivotal role in

  • Air Force announces maintenance award winners

    Air Force officials recently announced the winners of the 2002 Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Maintenance Awards, along with the 2002 Maintenance Effectiveness Awards.The winners of the Lt. Gen. Leo Marquez Maintenance Awards are:For aircraft maintenance:-- Field Grade Manager: Maj. David M. Coley, Travis

  • Predator helps in ground war success

    Flying over coalition troops racing toward Baghdad, RQ-1 Predators are providing ground commanders up-to-the-second information on what lies ahead.That is helping make the ground war a success by minimizing coalition troop losses, said Predator pilot Capt. Traz Trzaskoma by telephone."We immediately

  • Eye spy

    An F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot assigned to the 410th Air Expeditionary Wing at a forward-deployed location checks his night vision goggles before a mission. Aircraft from the wing flew missions on "A-Day" of Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bennie J. Davis)

  • Protesters offer training for security

    Security forces here responded to nearly 50 protesters at a base gate March 22 and arrested three.Another group of military supporters gathered at the gate to lend their encouragement to the base and its people.During the weeks leading up to the protest, groups informed the base they would exercise

  • Medics keeping troops fit, healthy, ready

    Medics assigned to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at this forward-deployed location are helping to ensure that the airmen here stand ready for action when called upon.The combat field hospital where the medics spend their days not only serves the needs of the thousands of men and women who are

  • Checking it out

    Senior Airman Adam Kruse communicates with a pilot about to take off on a mission March 20. Kruse is a crew chief deployed to the 363rd Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at a forward-deployed location in Southwest Asia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew Hannen)

  • Iraq Campaign to Get Tougher as Troops Approach Baghdad

    U.S. and coalition forces have made great gains so far during Operation Iraqi Freedom, but the going will likely get harder in coming days.Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delivered that message today on the Fox News Sunday television show."Anybody who thinks this

  • Ammo airmen build munitions for war

    After two weeks of waiting, munitions airmen at a forward-deployed location began working day and night building M-117 and 85 GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions for the "shock and awe" phase of the war in Iraq.Arriving at this location March 6, members of the 5th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron

  • Franks: Iraq Campaign Is 'Unlike Any Other in History'

    U.S. and coalition forces will liberate Iraq, end Saddam Hussein's regime and find and confiscate the dictator's weapons of mass destruction, Operation Iraqi Freedom's senior military commander said today.At just under three days' action, American and coalition forces are conducting simultaneous

  • Tons of knowledge resides in Air Force Web site

    Just about anything worth knowing about the Air Force, especially on the maintenance and acquisition side, can be found through a collaborative Web system called Knowledge Now.Knowledge Now is almost too big to describe, according to Randy Adkins, Air Force Materiel Command Knowledge Now project

  • Korean War vets get medals 50 years later

    Airman 2nd Class Harry Woodville, a Korean War veteran, has received a medal he waited 50 years for: the Korean War Service Medal.The Republic of Korea first offered the medal 50 years ago, but a law prevented U.S. troops from accepting medals from foreign countries. In 1999, the law was changed and

  • Rumsfeld reminds people about operational security

    When Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld started talking about the need to safeguard classified information, the studio staff flashed a World War II poster on the television.It was a picture of a young girl holding a picture of her father. The legend on it was "Don't kill her Daddy with Careless

  • 'Only a Matter of Time' Before Saddam's Regime Is Destroyed

    DoD officials today offered no timeframe when U.S. and coalition military operations in Iraq would conclude, but they emphasized that time was running out for Saddam Hussein and his regime."There are a lot of unknowns" involved in trying to predict when Operation Iraqi Freedom would end, Pentagon

  • Medical staff provides care during exercise

    Staff Sgt. Sonia Rincon's hands are splattered with blood and pieces of torn flesh. Her patient has a sucking chest wound and a fractured leg.Despite these gruesome injuries, Rincon takes her time tending to the wounds.She is not actually dressing the wounds, but creating them. Rincon is one of

  • Maintainers unleash wave of B-52s

    More than 70 aircraft maintainers worked earnestly through the early morning March 21 to unleash the first wave of B-52 bombers on the Iraqi regime from this forward-deployed location.Later in the day they watched with the rest of the world as their "Buffs" delivered what would come to be regarded

  • Artist sketches lighter side of life

    A satellite sticking out of a mobile home and an alien wrangler riding an orbiting satellite. These are two examples of images people might see weekly when they pick up the base newspaper, The Satellite Flyer, thanks to cartoonist Staff Sgt. Mike Dodge from the 50th Space Wing's plans and programs

  • Tanker crews launch combat support missions

    While most people were waking up and drinking their first cups of coffee, the first of several KC-135 Stratotanker aircrews from the 401st Air Expeditionary Wing launched combat support missions from their deployed location March 19."It was definitely a team effort all the way around today," said

  • Missile on its way

    Ammunition specialists from the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron roll out an AGM-130 missile headed toward the flightline at this forward-deployed location supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on March 21. The squadron has built more than 5,000 weapons in the past four weeks. (U.S. Air Force

  • 'Gray Eagle' awards presented to longest-serving pilots

    Just minutes after airmen deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom began the highly anticipated "shock and awe" attack on Baghdad on March 21, Air Force leaders paused to pay tribute to two of the service's longest-serving pilots.Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard B. Myers and Maj. Gen.

  • Buffing it up

    Staff Sgts. John Beldin (left) and Landon Favors, B-52 Stratofortress weapons loaders, prepare an air-launched cruise missile for loading on a B-52 March 20. Aircraft and people from the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., are deployed here as part of the 7th Air Expeditionary Wing.

  • Innovative training fosters acquisition transformation

    The Air Force acquisition community is transforming the way it does business by not only reforming its processes but also changing the way its workforce thinks and acts. To accomplish this, Paradigm Learning Inc., helped the Air Force develop a new learning tool for the entire acquisition workforce,

  • Myers Charts Coalition Military Actions to Date

    American ground forces are 100 miles inside Iraq and driving on Baghdad, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Richard Myers said today during a Pentagon news conference.The U.S. air campaign against Saddam Hussein's regime began with a tremendous bombing campaign against military

  • Legendary group enhances defense at Fairford

    Security here has taken on a formidable new dimension.After adding layers of concertina wire, K-9s and four contingents of law enforcement, officials at this British installation have added a regiment nothing short of legendary.The Gurkhas, the world-renowned Nepali special forces contingent of the

  • DoD Leaders Urge Iraqis to Surrender

    Over the past month, coalition aircraft have dropped more than 15 million leaflets over Iraq urging soldiers not to fight and telling civilians how to protect themselves.As Operation Iraqi Freedom began, there had been some results.Coalition troops are driving toward Baghdad and while some Iraqi

  • Leaders tell Congress relationships key in war on terrorism

    Leaders from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command spoke to members of Congress on March 19 on the personnel issues their organizations face in fighting the global war on terrorism.Lt. Gen. Daniel James III, the director of the Air National Guard, told the Senate Armed Services

  • Saddam's Days Numbered, Rumsfeld Says

    U.S. Central Command exercised "flexibility" in attacking a senior Iraqi leadership compound last night, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today.Rumsfeld spoke to a packed house at the Pentagon and answered questions about Operation Iraqi Freedom. He also spoke directly to Iraqi soldiers and

  • Leaders tell Congress about new aircraft, missions

    The Air Force's senior leaders presented their vision of the service's next-generation fighter and a new mission for an old warhorse to members of Congress on March 19.Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper briefed members of the House

  • A stealthy mission

    The first of two Air Force F-117 Nighthawks lands in the early morning hours at a forward-deployed air base on the Arabian Peninsula after a mission on March 20. Nighthawks from the 8th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron out of Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., are deployed supporting all ongoing

  • Outreach program helps critically ill infants

    Many nurses and physicians have limited experience in helping sick newborns. It can be a challenge for hospital staff to maintain skills in this area.Nurses at Wilford Hall Medical Center attended a new course March 13 designed to train them to care for critically ill infants who must be

  • Security forces remain undaunted in England

    Through shifts of 13-plus hours, endless walks across the tarmac, cold wind and demonstrators lurking on the fence line, security forces here are undaunted.RAF Fairford is home to a deployed force topping more than 1,000 military members and a number of B-52 Stratofortress bombers. They are

  • Officials outline importance of space systems

    Space systems today are more important than ever to the military's ability to fight and win conflicts, the undersecretary of the Air Force said in congressional testimony March 19."Therefore, it's appropriate that we join together (with the other services) in a way that allows us to understand (each

  • Official discusses BRAC with Congress

    In congressional testimony March 18, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and logistics discussed the service's successes and roadblocks in dealing with the base realignment and closure process.Nelson F. Gibbs told the Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee

  • Razor's edge

    Staff Sgts. Ralph Oliver (left) and Bruce Cook set up concertina wire along the perimeter here for increased force protection. They are assigned to the 424th Air Base Squadron Civil Engineer Flight. RAF Fairford is home of the 457th Expeditionary Operations Group. Troops deployed here support the

  • Medical care for airmen affected by Stop-Loss

    A previously overlooked provision of law allows up to four months of Tricare transitional health care benefits for airmen separating from the service after having been retained under Stop-Loss.The benefits will apply to any airman separating after the current and any future Stop-Loss actions,